to send a letter to someone
When did you write to them?Belfast · 2021 — 第 9 / 14 章 · 3'05" · B2
The Tax Letter Backfires, Explained：in the clear
It starts as a fight about a letter and becomes a fight about who is to blame for the family's money troubles. "When did you write to them?" one demands; the other answers, "None of your business." What looks like a tax mix-up is really two people scared about staying afloat.
あらすじ
At home, a wife admits she wrote to the tax office about her husband's back taxes, hoping to get his record cleared for good. Instead, the taxman dug further and says he owes another 572 pounds. The argument spills from the letter into the family's plans, money, and whether they can stay in Belfast.
注目の表現
in the clearbuggerhandy wee letterabove board
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このシーンの表現
in the clear
no longer in debt or suspicion
Ma reads the tax office reply saying the account is settled, though Pa stays doubtful.
The audit is over and the manager is in the clear.
このシーンの他の表現
- bugger
a mild insult for a person
- handy wee letter
said bitterly: your helpful little letter
- above board
honest and with nothing hidden
- the Big Smoke
a nickname for a big city
このシーンのメモ一覧
68 行のセリフに 24 件のメモ
Link none and of into nuh-nuv.
None of your business.a plain, direct reply
Just give me a simple answer.to arrive, as mail does
When the last receipt came through.elliptical answer: The main clause is dropped; only the time clause is spoken.
When the last receipt came through.not even the smallest thing
I knew it was the last one 'cause for three bloody years I've been counting them envelopes coming through that door, and there wasn't so much as a thank-you with this one.a British intensifier — A British spoken intensifier; avoid in writing or formal talk.
I knew it was the last one 'cause for three bloody years I've been counting them envelopes coming through that door, and there wasn't so much as a thank-you with this one.an exasperated plea
It's the taxman, for God's sake.to save money very carefully
We've been scrimping and saving, and they hadn't the good grace as to say, "That's it.to lack even basic courtesy
We've been scrimping and saving, and they hadn't the good grace as to say, "That's it.no longer in debt or suspicion
Ma reads the tax office reply saying the account is settled, though Pa stays doubtful.
You're done. You're in the clear."tidy and completely honest
and that they acknowledged that everything was shipshape and above board,to clear a debt
they've decided to go back further into my accounts and say that I owe another 572 pound, which based on current earnings, should take another five years to pay off.said bitterly: your helpful little letter
With the extra tax demand in hand, Ma sarcastically thanks Pa for his helpful letter.
So it's a handy wee letter you sent, wasn't it?a mild insult — Used among family or friends, never in formal settings.
-Oh, you're a lying bugger! - Aye, that's right, believe the taxman before you believe me!to relocate for work Here it means relocating for the job, not shifting aside.
They're asking some of the boys to move over permanent.two or a few of something
Couple of years.Link couple and of; of nearly vanishes.
Ah, it's just a couple of days.a Scottish and Irish word for small — Common in Northern Irish speech, rare in formal writing.
A wee test for the lungs.a nickname for a big city
Pop tells Buddy his dad works near London, nicknamed the Big Smoke.
Nah, your daddy works near, uh, London, the Big Smoke.apposition: The nickname stands beside London and renames it.
Nah, your daddy works near, uh, London, the Big Smoke.to make someone anxious
Sometimes it affects her nerves.inversion: Fronting in makes an order feel like a welcome.
In you come, girls. Catherine. Quinn.The t in can't is often dropped; listen for the vowel.
If you can't be good?「The Tax Letter Backfires」を読み解く
What's really going on
The letter was meant to settle things, but it exposes how little control either of them has. The wife wanted the wording "in the clear" and everything "shipshape and above board," a clean paper trail for the family name. The husband hears it as meddling, and his sarcasm does the real damage: "So it's a handy wee letter you sent, wasn't it?" Underneath the shouting is a couple counting envelopes for three years and realizing the future will be paid off in instalments. The tax office is faceless; the person across the table is not, which is why the scene stings. Money here is not just money, it is whether the family can leave or stay.
Theme
MoneyA letter meant to fix a tax debt instead adds 572 pounds and five more years of payments, turning bookkeeping into a family crisis.
Family conflictThe fight is never just about the taxman; it is about who gets blamed for the family's stalled plans and who is believed.
このチャプターで学べること
- In the clear means the debt or suspicion is gone
- Handy wee letter is praise turned into blame
- Above board means nothing is hidden
- Bugger is mild British swearing, not for formal use
発音のポイント
- None of — Link none and of into nuh-nuv.
- couple of — Link couple and of; of nearly vanishes.
- can't be — The t in can't is often dropped; listen for the vowel.
Who do you expect, Father Christmas?A sarcastic reply to someone acting surprised the tax office did not thank them: who did you think was writing? It mocks the letdown.
You're done. You're in the clear."The words the wife wanted the tax office to send: the debt is finished and the family is free of suspicion. It is the reassurance she never gets.
You can say that again.Warm agreement, like "you're absolutely right." Said here about Pop having worked many jobs, it keeps the moment light.
So it's a handy wee letter you sent, wasn't it?Sarcasm, not praise: the letter the wife thought would help has made things worse, and he is making sure she knows it.
このシーンについての質問
Who is actually to blame for the extra 572 pounds?
The tax office did the recalculating, but the wife's letter is what triggered the deeper look. Both of them know the letter was meant to help, which is why the fight is really about trust, not arithmetic.
Why does he keep calling it a handy wee letter?
Because it did the opposite of what she intended. The phrase is pure sarcasm: the letter he calls handy is the one that landed the family with five more years of payments.
What does "shipshape and above board" mean here?
Everything tidy, legal, and open to inspection. It is an old seafaring phrase, and she wanted the tax office to confirm the family's accounts were exactly that.
Are they really going to leave Belfast?
It is the question hanging over the whole scene. He describes a long job with accommodation offered, and Buddy asks point-blank if they will have to go. Nobody answers him directly.
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次のチャプター · 第 10 章bet the houseThe Family Debates Moving to Australia
第 1 章keep your head downBuddy Caught in a Street Riot
第 2 章none of your businessBelfast Builds the Barricades
第 3 章kick with the left footBelfast Family Argues About Religion
第 4 章double-bluffBilly Clanton Threatens the Family
第 5 章drowning in debtPa and Ma Argue About Leaving Belfast
第 6 章what's yours is mineBuddy's School Crush
第 7 章benefit of the doubtBuddy Learns to Game the Odds
第 8 章cut out forBuddy and Moira Steal Chocolate
再生中 · 第 9 章in the clearThe Tax Letter Backfires
第 10 章bet the houseThe Family Debates Moving to Australia
第 11 章welcome us with open armsDa Asks Ma to Move to England
第 12 章money's a bit tightGrandpa Tells Buddy Who He Is
第 13 章paving the way forBuddy Gets Pulled Into the Riot
第 14 章one last timeThe Family Remembers Grandpa第 9 / 14 章 · 残り約 17 分